King George Island
| King George Island | ||
|---|---|---|
 Photo from 1962 |
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| Waters | Southern ocean | |
| Archipelago | South Shetland Islands | |
| Geographical location | 62 ° 2 ′ S , 58 ° 21 ′ W | |
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| length | 80 km | |
| width | 30 km | |
| surface | 1 260 km² | |
| Highest elevation |
Rose Peak 700 m |
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| Residents | 300 ward staff (winter) <1 inh / km² |
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| main place | Villa Las Estrellas | |
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King George Island ("King George Island", Spanish Isla Rey Jorge , German King George Island ) is the largest island in the archipelago of the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica with an area of 1260 km² . The archipelago lies between the Southern Ocean and the Bransfield Strait . In Argentina , the island is named Isla 25 de Mayo after its national holiday, May 25th . In Russia , whose most important Antarctic research station is on the island, it is also called Waterloo (Ватерлоо) in addition to its official name . The only civil settlement on Isla Rey Jorge is the Chilean village of Villa Las Estrellas . Nearby is the Chilean Antarctic airport Aeródromo Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martín (English: Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Base Airport ; IATA : TNM, ICAO : SCRM). It is the only airfield in Antarctica with an IATA code. The island belongs to the part of the Antarctic Territory claimed by Chile , Argentina and Great Britain .
history
William Smith discovered the island on October 16, 1819 and took possession of it for Great Britain. His landing at Esther Harbor on the north-western tip of the island was also the first landing in Antarctica . Together with Edward Bransfield he returned to the island a little later and landed on January 22nd at King George Bay on the southern tip. Here the island got its name in honor of King George III. Bransfield and Smith created a first rough map of the island in the following years.
On December 25, 1820, the British whaling ship Lady Troubridge was shipwrecked off the coast of the island. Its captain Richard Sherratt made another map of the island until the rescue. In 1821 eleven whalers from the ship Lord Melville had to hibernate at Esther Harbor - the first winter in Antarctica. In the years 1876 and 1877 the crew of the American whaler Florence had to spend the winter there, but only the mate survived , who was rescued by the Francis Allyn in 1877 .
In March 1874 the island was visited by Eduard Dallmann , and in December 1909 by Jean-Baptiste Charcot . The first accurate maps were made in the 1930s by the crew of the RRS Discovery II .
The first permanent research station was established by Great Britain between 1946 and 1957; it was closed in 1961. In 1953 Argentina built the Carlini station (formerly Jubany station).
geography
King George Island is around 120 kilometers off the coast of mainland Antarctica . The island is 80 km long, up to 30 km wide and in Rose Peak reaches a height of 700 m above sea level. Three large bays in the south of the island characterize the appearance, King George Bay , Admiralty Bay and Maxwell Bay . Over 92% of the island's area is glaciated.
Research stations
A number of Antarctic research stations from various countries are concentrated on the ice-free areas of King George Island, mainly in the southwest of the island . It is the most densely populated area in Antarctica with research stations.
At Maxwell Bay in the southwest of the island are:
- the Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva (formerly Base Teniente Rodolfo Marsh ) named after the former Chilean President Eduardo Frei Montalva , which is maintained by Chile and the largest research station on the island. In the vicinity of this station is the only civil settlement on the island, the Chilean village of Villa Las Estrellas with 80 permanent residents, a bank , a post office , a souvenir shop , a school and a hospital . There is a Chilean air force base and the Estrella Polar Hotel nearby ;
- the neighboring Bellingshausen station ( Russia ). Near this station is the southernmost Russian Orthodox Church in the world, the Trinity Church (Церковь Святой Троицы);
- the Argentine Carlini station in the east of Maxwell Bay in a side bay on the Potter Peninsula.
There are also other stations from China , South Korea and Uruguay in the bay . Germany operates the Dallmann laboratory attached to the Argentine station .
The Czech research station ECO Nelson is located on the directly adjacent shore of Nelson Island .
At Admiralty Bay in the center of the island are:
- the station Comandante Ferraz ( Brazil ),
- the Arctowski station ( Poland ), which can also be visited by tourists.
- The USA operates the Pieter J. Lenie Station near the Polish station .
The nine permanently manned stations on King George Island have a combined winter crew of around 300 men and women.
Station Presidente Eduardo Frei
Signpost on the Presidente Eduardo Frei station
Russian Orthodox Church at Bellingshausen Station
Flora and fauna
Both previously known Antarctic species of flowering plants can be found on King George Island : the Antarctic pearlwort ( Colobanthus quitensis ) and the more common Antarctic Schmiele ( Deschampsia antarctica ). Various penguin and seal species live on the island, such as the chinstrap penguin ( Pygoscelis antarctica ), the southern elephant seal ( Mirounga leonina ) and the Antarctic fur seal ( Arctocephalus gazella ).
literature
- William James Mills: Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara 2003, ISBN 1-57607-423-4 , p. 353.
Web links
- SCAR King George Island Working Group (English)